Persist
by Benda
Summary: AU. After ten years of separation Ran had nearly forgotten his long lost friend. That was until he met a young mechanic who seemed familiar. Can this young man save him from this dull life? Could he possibly be the one he's been searching for? RXK YXO
1. Endings and Beginnings

Hi! I know it's been a while... nearly a year since I've posted a new fanfic or updated my other one. I suppose you could say I was in a year long writers funk. But now I'm back and ready to go! I haven't discountinued "Your heart is mine." I will be posting the last chapter sometime soon as well as my year old fanart for it. I put it on hold for this fanfic because this idea has been running around my head for a while. So yeah. This fic will probably be at least 5 chapters maybe more depending on the response I get.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or Weiss. But this is my story so do not rip it off or I will cry tears of blood all over you and blood is hard to get out so yeah. Don't rip it off.

Warnings: Shonen-ai. Two boys kissing, making out(snogging) and the such. If ya don't like this kind of stuff, don't read. If ya do... well then enjoy. Also has some foul language because Ken is a gutter mouth but we love him anyway. The grammer and spelling isn't perfect because I currently lack a spell check on my computer.

Pairings: I'm sticking with my usual pairings of RanXKen, YojiXOmi. I also might add in some schwarz but only if you're really nice.

Summary: AU. After ten years of seperation Ran had nearly forgotten his long lost friend. That was until he met a young mechanic who seemed vaguely familar. Can this young man save him from this dull life of daily routine. And could he possibly be the one he's been searching for? RXK YXO

Please Review, it would make me very very happy. I like to know when people are enjoying my stories. No flames.

Prologue

Endings and Beginnings

_"Aya... Aya..." The young redhead sobbed into his mother's skirt. _

_The rain beat down on all those who attended the funeral, and yet no one seemed to mind, perhaps it was because the rain seemed fitting on such an occasion. "Ran?" The young boy looked up at his mother. She bent down and wiped away his tears, "sometimes these things happen."_

_"It's not fair! Why her? Why not me?" His mother pulled him close and hugged him._

_"Perhaps fate has other plans for you. You may not understand now, but perhaps one day you'll find someone who needs you, and then maybe you'll understand." The redhead began to sob again. "Do not forget her Ran, but do not throw away your life, she would not want that." He nodded slightly as his mother lifted him into her arms. _

The Fujimiya's were a well off family living just outside of Tokyo. The head of the household was an executive for many companies in the city. Needless to say the Fujimiya's were well off, but sometimes money can't buy everything. It was spring when they lost their 5 year old daughter to an incureable illness. They had tried many different doctors from many different countries, but it still wasn't enough. Their seven year old son, though only a child, was deeply affected by the death of his sister. The boy had a quiet disposition to begin with, but after his sister's death he became withdrawn and isolated. He stopped going to school and opted to do home schooling instead. He didn't associate with others his age nor was he active in any sort of extracurricular activites. He would just stay home, study, and read his books. The Fujimiya's, worrying for the son's well being, tried many different things to get their son to open up. Kendo lessons, toys, video games and arcades, nothing seemed to work for the young boy. Many of the servants in the mansion had never heard the young boy utter a single word, even his father hardly ever heard his son's voice. The only one the boy would speak to was his mother even then it was seldom. The boy appeared to be at easy with his mother, so where she went he went. She did not mind, but she wished her son would approach others his age.

In one last desperate attempt to get her son to open up, she took him to a park. Remarkably the boy seemed to enjoy the fresh air and seemed to be getting better from his daily trips to the park. Now mind you, he still just sat next to his mother and stayed silent. For hours each day they would sit on a bench facing a small pond and read. The improvement in his behavior wasn't great but it was better than nothing. So everyday at two they would drive to the park and sit for a few hours before returning home.

One day while reading at the park, the young boy was distracted from his story by laughter. He raised his eyes from to the pages to the source of the sound. Directly in front of him ran a young boy, who was laughing merrily as he chased the ducks and geese by the shores of the pond. He looked up to his mother who was still reading, then looked back to the boy. Slowly he got off the bench and set down his book and turned to approach the other boy. He eyed the boy warily, taking in the boy before he got to close. The other boy was much different from him, where he was pale and redheaded, the boy was tan and brunette. Even the boy's clothing was different from his own. His parents always dressed him in nice clothing that made him look many years older than he actually was. This boy, on the other hand, was wearing clothes that looked like they had seen better days, they were tattered, torn and dirty. Ran briefly wondered what kind of parent would let their child wear clothes of such poor quality.

The boy was oblivious to the redheads presence, and continued to happily chase the birds. The redhead watched for a moment. He watched the birds then he observed the boy. The boy grinned and laughed as he chased the birds in circles. The redhead boy wondered how such a thing as chasing birds could bring so much happiness to someone. He just didn't get it, so he asked. "Why are you doing that?"

Nearby his mother nearly dropped her book at the sound of her sons voice. She looked up and watched her son approach another boy. Her eyes widen slightly. She was very surprised to see her son open up and speak to someone he didn't know, especially someone his own age.

The brunette stopped and looked at the redhead boy staring strangely at him. He smiled. "Why are you dressed like that?" He countered.

The redhead looked at his clothers then looked at the boy. "I asked first." Was his short reply.

The other boy just laughed. "I dunno. Cause it's fun?"

The boy's grammer was unlike anything the redhead had ever heard, so he just assumed it was due to a lack of schooling on the brunette's part. "How is that fun?" Now he didn't care for talking so much, but his curiosity was getting the better of him. He had never in all his life, met a person like the boy standing in front of him.

"I... I'm not sure actually." The boy laughed slightly and scratched the back of his head. "I suppose it beats doing nothing." He says after a moment of thought. "Why do you read?"

The red head was slightly suprised to hear the boy had even noticed him before he approached. "I like it, it passes the time."

"See? It's the same." The brunette smiles at him. "I'm Ken!" The boy holds out his small hand to the other boy.

The redhead looks at it for a moment before hesitantly grabbing it. "Ran Fujimiya."

The brunette blinked slightly confused, but smiled anyway. "Let's play Ran!" Before the redhead could refuse he was being pulled by the smaller boy. He looked to his mother who just smiled at him and nodded ever so slightly. With a sigh Ran gave up any resistance he had. If there's anything his parents taught him, it was be polite to strangers. So instead of being rude and refusing, he just went along with the brunette despite the fact he didn't really want to "play".

Two hours later, and completely covered in dirt, the young brunette said his goodbyes and left. Ran looked down at his clothes, which were in just as bad of condition as the brunettes, but for some reason he didn't mind. In fact, he rathered enjoyed playing with Ken. The brunette had a wild imagination, that was refreshing to Ran. It was like reading a book, but improvising it instead. His mother walked up to him and began to dust him off. "Sorry."

She just smiled and shook her head. "I'm not. Did you have fun?" Ran looked at her for a moment before hesitantly nodding. "Would you like to come to the park again tomorrow?"

He didn't understand why his mother was asking him this. They went to the park everyday, so it was kind of a given. He didn't understand but he chose to answer anyway. "Yes." She smiled and stood, grabbing his hand they walked out of the park. That evening she told her husband of the boy who got Ran to play in the dirt. They wished they could thank to small brunette, for he helped Ran more then he would ever know.

The next day at the park Ran went back to his daily routine of reading next to his mother. That was until a familar voice reached his ears. "Ran!" He looked up from his book as the brunette ran up to him and smiled. Ran nodded a hello. Ken looked over at Ran's mother and smile. "I'm Ken. Can Ran come and play?" She smile and nodded to the bouncy brunette. Ran marked his page before setting down his book. "Ran. Why do you wear such silly clothes? You look like a grown up." The brunette inquired sweetly.

"What do you mean? You don't have clothes like this?" Ran looked down at his pull over and tugged on it.

"Of course I don't... is it strange that I don't?" The brunette's smiled faded slightly.

"Well all the kids I've met wear stuff like this. Do your parents not buy you clothes like this?"

"I don't have parents." The boy smiled at him like it was the most normal thing in the world. The redhead and his mother just stared at the boy. He noticed their looks and raised his eyebrow. "I live in a place called 'Orphange'. Is that weird?"

Before Ran could say anything, his mother cut in. "Of course not, Ken. Now you two run along and go play." With a shrug the redhead ran off with the brunette. His mother watched their retreating figures before sighing sadly.

Later that night Ran approached his parents. "What's 'Orphange'?"

His parents looked at eachother for a moment. "Come here Ran." The redhead crawled onto his mothers lap and looked at his parents expectantly. "Ran, an Orphanage, is a place for kids who don't have parents or family."

"Why doesn't he have a family?"

His mother looked sadly at him. "Because they died honey. That or they couldn't afford to keep him."

He looked at them then thought for a minute. "He doesn't have anyone?"

"No Ran. Sometimes sad things happen to people and sometimes they have to make the best of what they've got." His father replied.

"Does that make him different?"

His mother sighed and pulled him close. "The way he lives is different from yours but it doesn't mean it's wrong or bad, it's just different. So you don't have to worry about treating him as such. Treat him as you did yesterday and as you did today and I'm sure you'll be fine. Did you have fun again today?" Ran nodded.

The next day at the park Ran played with Ken again, and then the day after that, and the one after that. Before Ran new it six months had gone and he spent nearly everyday with the brunette. Ken seemed to get him, and never asked him to be something else but himself. It was something Ran wasn't used to.

On one of their play days Ran had asked Ken, "Don't you play with anyone else?" It wasn't that Ran didn't want to play with Ken, but Ken was just a type of person that Ran thought would have a lot of friends.

Ken looked at him and shrugged. "Not really. The other kids at the Orphange say I'm different, so they won't play with me."

"How are you different?"

"I dunno. But you're my friend, and as long as you're my friend you're all I need." He just smiled and continued with their game.

Ran's parents were truely greatful to the young brunette, so greatful infact that they put on a fundraiser for the orphange and raised quite a lot of money.

For six months the two were nearly inseperable. Ran was still quiet but he talked more now and even smiled and laughed on rare occassions. Ken seemed to be the only one who could bring out that side of Ran.

It was a cold day in November and Ran was bundled up in a thick coat as he and his mother made their way to their favorite bench in the park. Ran had stopped bringing books to read long ago, knowing full well that he wouldn't be reading, but instead playing with Ken. So he sat by his mother and swung his feet and waited for his friend to come running, calling his name. He sat and waited, and waited and waited. After a half an hour or so Ran found it odd his friend was not showing up, but he ignored it, figuring Ken was just running late. He was nine now, and practically an adult, so there was no need to do something as childish as worry. Nope, of course not. But as an hour passed and then another half an hour, he began to grow restless. Ken NEVER didn't show. That just wasn't Ken. Ken ever showed up sick on a few occassions, of course Ran's mom sent him home, but still. Four a clock rolled around and still no Ken. Ran looked to his mother as she put away her book. "Maybe he was just sick today. If you want I can call and see if he will be coming tomorrow." Ran nodded and followed his mother.

Later that night Ran's mother called him into the family room. He walked in and immediately his stomache dropped and he felt like he would collapse from the sudden weakness that seemed to consume him. It was their faces. He knew this expression. Something was wrong. The last time they called him into the family room with these looks on their faces was when they told him Aya died. The silence in the room frightened him. His parents waited for him to sit down, but seeing that he had no intention of sitting down, they looked at eachother. His mother took a deep breath and looked at him. "Ran honey..."

"No!" Both his parents look startled by his outburst. "Something's wrong! It's just like when Aya died! I don't want to hear it." He turned to run out of the room but his father grabbed him.

"Ran. You can't run away from things just because you don't want to acknowledge they exist." Ran stopped fighting and dropped to the ground, silently waiting for whatever it was they wanted to tell him.

"Ran," His mother began. "I called the orphange a little but ago..." She trailed for a moment before taking another deep breath. "I asked if Ken was feeling well and if he would be able to come play with you tomorrow."

"You started out this way when Aya died!" The young redhead sobbed. "What happened to Ken!"

His parents looked at eachother sadly then back to him. His father finally spoke up. "Ken is missing."

Ran's eyes went wide. "Missing?"

"He ran away from the orphange and they can't seem to find him. The police can't find him either."

"You're wrong!" His father stared at his son, surprised yet again. "Ken would never do that!"

"I never told you this, but I think it's time I did." His mother started. Ran turned towards her. "A few months ago I called the orphange to talk about Ken, to see why the other children wouldn't play with him. They told me about how Ken ended up there. Ken had been abandonded as a child, his parents didn't want him. Ken himself didn't seem to know this, but the other kids knew, that's why they wouldn't play with him. Yesterday, Ken had accidently broke one of the other children's toys. The child told him that it was no wonder his parents abandoned him and that no one would ever want him because he was a reject." Ran just sat there staring at his mother. "Ken ran out after that and didn't come back. When night rolled around, they called the police, but no one has seen him since yesterday."

"It's a lie." He sobbed softly. "I want him. He's my friend! I want him around!" He got up and ran to his mother, clinging to her and crying. "Does this mean I can't see him anymore?"

"I don't know..." She pulled him close.

"It's not fair! Why did they have to say that?" His mother patted his shoulder softly.

"This is something you should learn from Ran. People are people, it doesn't matter who they are or what they have. They should all be treated with respect. Remember Ran words can hurt just as bad as any weapon." He nodded sadly.

"Can we go to the park tomorrow? I know he'll be there. Because we're friends and he said as long as we were friends then that would be all he needed."

"Of course we can."

The next day rolled around, and still no sign of the smiling bruntte. Nor the day after that, or the one after that. Days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months and months turned into to years. And gradually Ran grew up. That cold November was the last time he saw Ken.


	2. Vividly

Hey I thought I would post two chapters today since I have them done. I'm so nice. Well... yeah. Anywho um enjoy. Please read and review.

Disclaimer: I don't own weiss or the characters. This is my story don't take it without permission from me. Thanks.

Warnings: Shonen-ai. In other words boys who like other boys. Kissings and such will be taking place. Don't like it? Don't read.

Pairings: RanXKen, YojiXOmi. Maybe more.

Summary: AU. After ten years of seperation Ran had nearly forgotten his long lost friend. That was until he met a young mechanic who seemed vaguely familar. Can this young man save him from this dull life of daily routine. And could he possibly be the one he's been searching for? RXK YXO

Chapter 1

Vividly

It had been one year since Ran Fujimiya had taken over the Fujimiya corporation in the place of his late father. He was currently on his way to one of many meetings he had scheduled for the day. When he first took over for his father, many people had been skeptical to say the least. A twenty year old in charge of a corporation was unheard of. Yet Ran had proved them wrong and then some. Now Ran was considered one of the new business geniuses of his time, as well as one of the most eligible bachelors in Tokyo. He sighed deeply and looked at the blonde man next to him. A few years back the company merged with another one, and as a result ran was forced to befriend the son of the other company's owner. The truth of the matter was the blond had as much a say in the company as Ran did, it was just the blonde didn't seem to care all that much, as long as he got money for his extravagant life style. Now don't get Ran wrong. He had no problem with blonde, in fact he was quite accustomed to the blonde's presence. He would go even far enough to call the blonde "friend", of course he never said such out loud.

"Yoji to Ran! Come in Ran." The redhead turned and glared at the blonde. "Finally I got your attention. I asked you a question." The redhead just raised a brow. Yoji sighed deeply. "I asked when are you going to drop your car off to the mechanics?" Oh yes, his car. His beloved white porche. It was one of few items he let himself spend too much for. He liked his car and he had had it for quite sometime and never once had a problem, that was until recently. Just a week or two back his car started running poorly, the engine either working to hard or not enough. Ever since then he had been forced to catch a ride with his blonde coworker(I use the term worker loosely).

"I was going to take it in after my Tokoyashi appointment at four." He replied rather dryly.

"Well just call me and I'll pick ya up from the mechanics after you drop it off." The redhead merely nodded.

Another dull day for Ran Fujimiya. Okay it wasn't dull as much as it was conventional. He had a routine and it wasn't by choice either. On numerous occasions Yoji Kudou had suggested that he get a girlfriend and that way his routine would change no matter if he wanted it to or not. Needless to say he shot Yoji down and then some. The day went by slowly. Meeting after meeting, report after report, pretty much the same ol' thing. He had long since gotten used to it, but every so often he wished for something different.

Before too long he found himself driving his car to the mechanics. He had never been to this mechanic before, but he had heard from many colleagues that it was the best mechanic around. He pulled up to the dirty looking garage, then again what garage didn't look dirty. He pulled his porche up to the drive way and got out, slowly making his way to the office. He stopped halfway to his destination upon hearing a familiar voice. He turned and saw a red head yelling at a poor young brunette mechanic. "Aa. Schuldich. I feel sorry for that mechanic cause Schuldich is a pain in the ass." Ran had met the redheaded model at one of the many fund raising balls his company threw, and every time the redhead always managed to piss him off. So, not wanting to be seen and thus being forced to talk with the said redhead, he moved out of view and listen to the model rant.

"What do you mean eight hundred bucks! I came it to get a few spark plugs replaced that's it."

"Yes, I know sir." The mechanic shifted nervously. "But I found something else wrong with carburettor. I needed to fix it and the part isn't cheap."

"Did I ask you to fix my carburettor! No! I asked you to replace my spark plugs." The redhead fumed. All the while Ran rolled his eyes. He knew Schuldich easily had the money to pay for it. In fact he knew the man spent more money on his shoes than the bill for his car.

"Sir. I understand. But if I hadn't replaced the part it would've caused you're car more damage and then it would've cost thousands more to repair it."

The redhead growled before pulling out his check book, writing a check quickly. "Stupid mechanic. Carburettor is probably fine." He tore off the check and handed it to the young mechanic, who looked like he was about to punch the redhead out. Not that Ran cared, in fact, he almost wished the boy did. "Don't expect me to be coming by here ever again. I'll find a place where people actually know about cars, not some riff raff punk with no money." The model got into his car and began backing up.

"That's fine." The mechanic nearly shouted. "Cause I wouldn't have worked on your shitty car again anyways!" He watched as the car went speeding off. "Stupid prick. I save him thousands of dollars on his fucking car and he has the gall to question my ability as a mechanic. I would like to see him patch a crack in his gasket." With that the young mechanic stormed off through an employee's only door.

Ran watched the retreating form for a minute before turning back to the office. Before he reached the door a burly mechanic came stomping out of the office and looked at him. "What the hell was all that shouting about?"

Ran, not wanting to get the young mechanic in trouble, merely shrugged. "I don't know, nor do I care. My secretary called earlier. I am here to drop off my car."

The man looked at him then to the white porche in the driveway. "Hmm. I remember. Alright." He hands the redhead a clip board. "Fill this out. Put down everything that is wrong with the car."

"Why don't I just tell you?" The redhead asked, even though he was already filling out the form.

"I'm not the one working on the car, so you better put down everything you want checked."

Ran looked at the man before going back to writing. He wondered briefly if the young mechanic would be the one working on his car. He shrugged off the thought, not really caring who fixed his car as long as it got fixed. He finished the form and handed it to the man, along with his key. "You can pick the car up in about three days. Call first though." The redhead nodded before walking out of the garage.

"Well that's taken care of." He thought to himself as he pulled out his phone. He pressed a number and his phone began dialing. "Yoji. I'm done. Yeah. Alright. See you in a few." He hung up his phone and walked to the side of the garage and leaned against the fence. A loud crash startled him and he turned to look in between the cracks of the fence. There was the young brunette mechanic making a ruckus and kicking things. Not that Ran blamed him, Schuldich could infuriate anyone, even a nun if he tried hard enough.

"Stupid god damn rich people! Always think I'm cheatin' 'em out of somethin'. Never once do I get a "thank you" or a "you did a great job". Stupid rich assholes, don't know nothin' about cars. Don't know nothin' about what it's like to live off nothin'. They appreciate nothin'." At this point of the boy's rant Ran heard a door open and close.

"Kid! Calm you're sorry ass down or you're sleeping out hear tonight with all the shit you're breakin. Got it?" That seemed to shut the young brunette up. "Yeah they're assholes. I'll give ya that. But don't forget that those assholes are the reason why you have a garage to work in. In fact they're the reason that you could work in any garage you wanted, so stop your bitchin' and get back to work. There's a porche out on the lift. I expect you to cool yourself down and be back in and workin' on that car in five minutes or I'm deducting your paycheck." With that the burly mechanic returned to the building, slamming the door behind him.

Ran turned away from the fence and look around for Yoji, not seeing the blonde, he turned back and watch the brunette. Now he had always learned staring and eavesdropping was incredibly rude, but the truth of the matter was he felt kind of bad for the poor mechanic. To be chewed out by a bitchy model and get threatened with a pay cut all in one day sucks. Even Ran could sympathize.

The brunette sighed deeply before sitting down on a short stack of tired. "Great another rich person to accuse me of doing something wrong with the car. They always bitch and moan and yet they tell everyone to come here. That's probably because they realized they were wrong but instead of saying "thank you" or apologizing they just send me more assholes to deal with." The brunette lets out a frustrated sigh. "I hate how everyone treats me like a god damn idiot. So what I didn't get a chance to go to school. So what if I lived on the streets for a while. So what if I'm covered in greased most of the day." The brunette rests his face in his palm. "They judge me before they even know me." Ran looked away for a moment, before turning his gaze back to the brunette. "Beneath the dirt and the grease, from their cars, I'm still a person. It's funny that they don't see that. I treat them with respect and all I get is this bullshit." With another sigh he wipes his hand on his suit before getting up. "I wish, just for once, they'd look closer. Maybe they'd see the real me." With that the brunette stretched and walked back into the building, leaving Ran staring at the vacant spot.

A soft honk startles Ran out of his daze. He turns and see the Blonde waving at him from his sports car. With one last glance he turns and climbs into the car. The ride back to his place is silent, and by silent I mean Ran is silent and Yoji is talking away as usual. "So yeah then she was like "'How you doin'?' and I was like 'Not you.'." The blonde laughs at his own joke. "I mean you should've seen this chick Ran. I mean not a single part of her body was real. It was ridiculous. And get this! She had the nerve to insult my car! My car! Can you believe that! ...Ran? ...RAN!" The red head turns and looks at the blonde. "I asked you a question."

"Yoji, I don't see the big deal if she insults you're car. You insult you're car. You always bitch and moan about how you need a new one. So why don't you just by a new one and then both your problems will be solved." Yoji just stared at him for a moment before smiling.

"You are very right. I need a new car. This car is so Yoji three years ago. I need something new, something hot, something that will fit my personality." The redhead just ignored him as he went off into another rant of some sort.

The brunette sighed deeply as he made his way back into the garage. He stopped and looked at the porche. White? Well what did he care. It wasn't his place to tell some rich person that white on a porche looks ridiculous. With a deep sigh he walked over to the hood and grabbed the clip board and began to flip through the forms. He scans over the list a few times. "The engine is working to hard or not enough? That's a little vague. Thank you for all the detail Mr.-" He flipped to the front. "-Fuji...miya?" The clip bored slips from his hands and falls to the floor with a clatter. He just stands there in stunned silence. "It couldn't be..."

Later that night Ran fell back into his same old dull routine when preparing for bed. Wash face, floss, brush teeth, change, get a glass of water, pick a book and crawl into bed. The same as every night, or so he thought. Tonight wasn't like any other night. For tonight he found himself unable to sleep recalling the events of the day."I wish, just for once, they'd look closer..." He could still remember the look on the mechanics face so vividly.

Ran was rich, always had been and probably always would be, but he wasn't like more rich people. He wasn't snobbish to poor people, or rude. In fact he treated them with respect, just like his mother taught him. "People are people, it doesn't matter who they are or what they have. They should all be treated with respect." He remembered his mother saying that once and it had stuck with him since. Though he couldn't remember why she said it, but he figured it didn't matter as long as he got the message of it. So here he was, twenty-one years old, acting and dressing like a forty year old, and completely miserable. So he wasn't miserable as much as he was bored. He was bored with his life. Getting up, going to work, going to a meeting, going to lunch, going to a meeting, going to work, going home, eat dinner, go to bed. It just never changed. There never was any other variable in the equation. Occasionally Yoji would take him to a bar, but even that was beginning to dull.

His thoughts once again wandered to the mechanic. Something about the boy struck him as familiar. Though he couldn't figure it out for the life of him. "I wish, just for once, they'd look closer..." The phrase just kept running through his mind whether he wanted it to or not. After a few hours of contemplation he decided to give up on it since the odds of seeing him again were rare.

That was until three days later, when he went to pick up his car. Up until this day, things had been pretty dull, big surprise there. He wasn't really sure when it happened, but somewhere between the past few years he had forgotten how to live. And to this day he still couldn't figure out how to begin again. With a sigh he got out of the taxi and paid the driver. This place. It seemed almost nostalgic even though he had only been there once. He walked in and saw his car waiting, looking as good as ever. They must have cleaned it as well. He looks at it for a moment before approached by the brunette mechanic. The brunette stared at him for a moment, which made Ran fairly uncomfortable. He coughed slightly and the mechanic quickly adverted his gaze to else wear.

"It's should work as good as new. In fact it should work better. Your engine wasn't getting enough gasoline and it was working harder to get it. So I replaced some of the tubes and fixed it up here and uhh... there. So it s-should work wonderfully." Ran stared at the mechanic wondering why he was stuttering and looking so uncomfortable around him. "You can test it if ya want." He hand Ran the keys and Ran stared at the brunette's grease covered face for a moment before climbing into his car. He turned it on and press on the gas. His eye widened ever so slightly feeling it run better than it ever had before. After a moment he turns of the car and climbs out. The brunette looks at him then to the car.

"It is better than it was. Thank you for your hard work." The brunette stared at him wide eyed.

"I.. Uhh... You're welcome." He gives the redhead a small smile.

A tinge of familiarity struck Ran once again. He looks at the boy more closely now. "Have we met before?"

The brunette waves his hands in front of himself somewhat nervously. "N-no. I don't think so."

Ran stared for a moment but shrugged it off. He pulled out his check book and began to write a check. "How much?"

"About five hundred." The boy looked like he was about to be hit.

"Alright." The red head kept writing the check. Trying not to smile at the surprised look on the boys face. "Why so surprised?"

"I... I'm not surprised." He stutters slightly.

"Hmm." The redhead finishes the check and hands it to him. "It's not like you would cheat me or anything." The brunette blinked some. He looked at the check then to Ran then back to the check. Ran's capping his pen and slips his check book back into his pocket when he notices something from the corner of his eye. He turns and looks at a large canvas sheet, which he assumes is covering a car of some sort. Curiosity gets the best of him. He looks back to the brunette. "What's that?" He points.

The brunette looks to the canvas then back to Ran a full blown grin on his face. "It's my latest side project. Ya wanna see it?" Ran could practically feel the pride and joy radiating off the young man. He nods and follows the brunette to the canvas. With one last grin, the mechanic removes the sheet, revealing a 1965 shelby cobra replica. Ran just stares at the shiny piece of metal on wheels in front of him. The car was absolutely amazing. Now Ran was not really a car thing, that was more of Yoji's thing, but he knew when he saw a masterpiece and this car was definitely one. He looked at the brunette in amazement.

"You made this?" He asked while running his hand across the sleek metal.

"Yep." The young man not only radiated pride but beamed with it as well. "I make cars on the side for fun and then I sell them, though lately I haven't sold them all that much. I guess I'm not so good at advertising." He scratched the back of his head and laughed nervously.

Ran stands and looks at the brunette. "Actually I have a friend who's looking for a new car."

The mechanic raises a brow. "Well certain cars work for certain people. What's he like?"

"Arrogant. Fast. A little on the fast side, in and out of cars if you know what I mean. Oh and I mustn't forget, he's vain." The red head sighed.

"I think I have the perfect car for him. Bring him in on Tuesday and I'll be more than happy to show him what I have to offer."

The redhead nodded. "I'll do that." Turns back to his car and walks over and climbs in. "I'll see you on Tuesday then?"

"Yep." The brunette grins. "Have fun driving her. It's a good car." Ran nods before driving off. Ken watches as the white porche drives away. "It is him. He didn't recognize me... but I think that's for the best." With a smile he turned and went out back. He did have a car to clean and make it look nice for Tuesday after all.


	3. Seven

So I'm leaving town this weekend, so I figured I'd post a chapter before I left because my reviewers have been so nice. I'll try to get another one up sometime next week.

Thank you to all my reviewers! You guys are great! I hope to hear from you all again as the story progresses. This next chapter is totally donated to my reviewers.

Kirei Aya: Thank ya kindly. I'm glad you find it interesting. I was trying to do something different from the norm, so I'm glad to see that I may have achieved that. Thank you for the review.

Gonyos: I'm glad you're enjoying reading it. I'm enjoying writing it. In fact sometimes when I'm writing I look at it and mistake it for me reading a fanfic, not me writing one. lol. Thank you for the review, I hope you continue to enjoy "Persist."

Heather R: I'm glad that you are enjoying it! Yeah I decided that posting just one would just kind of leave people hanging, so I thought I wouldn't make anyone suffer and post a chapter along with the prologue. Thanks for the review! -

Himawari: Thanks! I've had this idea in my head for awhile and I just finally got around to writing it. So I had sometime to think about how I wanted to start it. Thanks for the delightful review!

Rebellion 2 fate: lol. I have a feeling you'll go even more crazy at the end of this chapter. Anywho, thanks for the review! that kind of rhymed...

Sarah: I tried to come up with an original idea, so I'm glad you like it. Thanks for the review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Weiss. Nope. None. Not at all. No sirr-ee. Too bad... Anyways. Weiss may not be mine, but this story is, so please don't rip me off or I may have to spit, and I don't think you want that.

Warnings: Boy Boy LOVE! Don't like it. Don't read. Also some heavy language because Ken is just kind of like that.

Summary: AU. After ten years of separation Ran had nearly forgotten his long lost friend. That was until he met a young mechanic who seemed vaguely familiar. Can this young man save him from this dull life of daily routine. And could he possibly be the one he's been searching for? RXK YXO

Pairings: Main pairing is RanXKen. But there is plenty of YojiXOmi as well. You know it's kind of weird. YojiXOmi Pairing is my favorite, but I enjoy writing RanXKen more. It's kind of weird.

Authors Note: The title "Persist" was taken from a song that a friend of mine made. The song belongs to him not to me. I just used the name as a title. And no this is not a song fic. His song has no words, just an awesome beat. So I want to take this opportunity to thank him for all the wonderful music he's made.

ALSO. I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT CARS! So if it seems inaccurate at all, that's why. I know more than most people, but I don't know all that much. So yeah. Also I don't think the seven really exists, but if it does, sorry, but in this universe it doesn't.

Reviews are appreciated.

Chapter 2

Seven

"Oh?" The blonde looked at his colleague. "I don't know. I mean it's a mechanic."

"A mechanic who made a replica of a Shelby Cobra." The redhead replies.

The blonde raises a brow. "Really? Hmm. I guess I'll have a look then. When?"

"Tomorrow." The truth of the matter was that Ran was too busy to bring it up before hand. Well that and he wasn't sure how he thought about going back there. It wasn't that he didn't like the brunette mechanic, actually it was quite the opposite. The boy was kind and very skilled when it came to motor vehicles. What bothered Ran was the fact that the boy was so disturbingly familiar. He kept replaying the boy's image in head, trying to figure out who he was, but he just couldn't get it. It also didn't help that the boy was constantly covered in grease. Ran didn't understand how someone could be okay with being so dirty, then again someone has to do it and Ran was glad it wasn't him. There were two things on the boy that stuck out above the rest, the two features that struck Ran as familiar each time he saw the boy. Those expressive eyes and that bright smile. He didn't know many people who had qualities like that, so it made it harder for him to place the boy.

The worst part about this whole thing, was the fact that he was actually looking forward to returning to the garage. It made him feel pathetic, looking forward to something as lowly as a garage. Then again he would look forward to anything as long as it wasn't the same ol' dull routine. Ran appreciated this new variable to his normally dull life.

The rest of the day went by slowly, too slowly in Ran's opinion. With the next day came a feeling of nervousness to the redhead. He didn't understand why he was so nervous about going to some stupid garage just to look at some car with Yoji. If anything he should be dreading it, not be nervous by it. This would mostly likely be his last visit to the garage, and for some reason it bothered him. The variable that had changed his dull routine for the past few days would be gone and things would go back to how they were before. Perhaps that is why he kept trying to recollect the brunette. Perhaps he just wanted to find something new, something exciting to cling on to whatever it may be. And that to Ran, was a weakness. For the past two nights he had been up to early hours in the morning thinking about this. If there was one thing Ran hated, it was being weak. Weakness was not acceptable. And yet, here he was. Waiting impatiently for one thirty to roll around so he could once again make his way to the mechanic. He knew he was being weak, but he reasoned if being weak meant that he may have a chance to break away from this dull life, well then maybe he just might be okay with being weak. He anxiously glanced at the clock and it's slow moving hands. This did not go unnoticed by his coworker.

The blonde stared at his friend. Within the past few days he noticed a change within the redhead. A small one, but a change nonetheless. Now Yoji was a curious creature by nature. Things like spying, eavesdropping, and gossip intrigued him. So when this sudden, yet small, change occurred in his business partner, and friend, well he just couldn't let it go. For something to make his stoic partner change, well that was just to intriguing for him. What could have possibly affected the redhead in such away? He observed the man for a few more minutes. The redhead appeared to be nervous, but about what? The red head kept glancing up at the clock like he was expecting something. Yoji thought for a moment, silently going through the agenda for the day. Nothing. There was nothing different or special that the redhead should be nervous about. Well accept for the car thing. He paused for a moment. The mechanic. Hmm. Perhaps that had something to do with all of this. In fact each time ran had left the garage he always seemed dazed and deep in thought. Now Yoji was even more interested than before. What could possibly be so interesting at a garage? He didn't know, be he was sure as hell going to find out. A wide grin spread across his face.

"I know that look. What are you plotting?"

The blonde turned to his partner, blinking owlishly at him for a moment before grinning. "Oh nothing." He turned back to his work. "Just thinking about the good lay I had last night."

"You're disgusting." The redhead rolled his eyes and turned back to watching the clock.

"I'm not. I'm a healthy young man, which is more than I can say then about you." The redhead let out a heavy sigh, knowing very well that Yoji was going into his 'you need to get laid' rant again. "I mean come on Ran. What do you do with all your time anyway? Work?"

"Well somebody has to." He mumbled under his breath.

"I mean you don't do anything. You have free time, and more many then you know what to do with. Yet you stay your usual prudish self and not do anything with it. It would be so easy for you to get laid Ran. Really. You have the money, you have the time, and let's just face it, you have the looks. So I don't get why you choose celibacy over pleasure. I just don't get it."

"I told you before. The women that we meet aren't worth my time." He glances at the clock again. 12:53.

"Then find a man. I don't care. Just do something! ... Correction, do someone!" The blonde buries his face in his hand. If there was one thing that drove Yoji crazy about Ran was the fact that the man was gorgeous and never did a thing about it. He doubted the red head even knew how attractive he was.

The redhead just stares at the blonde for a moment before turning back to the clock. 12:57.

"Here." He throws down a black book in front of the redhead. "It's a book full of numbers, of people who are worth doing. Men are in red, women in blue. So why don't you just take it and go get laid or something." Yoji barely ducked as the book was thrown at his head.

"I don't need your help Kudou." The blonde rolled his eyes. "I don't need someone. They would only add burden to my already busy schedule. So if you would please stop harassing me and get some work done, then maybe we can get out on time today." With that, the discussion was ended.

Finally 1:30 rolled around and Ran practically pushed Yoji out of his chair to get him moving. "OI! Now I don't get it. First you're bitchin about how I don't work enough, and now you're bitchin about how I don't leave quick enough."

"We have an appointment to make."

"Ran. It's a garage. I'm not worried about being late or anything." The blonde grabbed his jacket and followed the redhead out the door.

"An appointment is an appointment. It's rude not to show up on time." The blonde just smirked at the redhead as they entered the elevator.

"You seem anxious. Can't get there fast enough?" The redhead just glares at him. "What could possibly be at a garage that would interest you this much? Hmm?"

"Yoji." The redhead growled. "I don't want to get a bad reputation of being late. It's bad for business."

"Ran. I don't think you could be late if you tried." They walked out of the elevator and out of the building, towards Ran's car.

"Well I'm not going to start now." He climbs in and turns on the ignition, barely giving the blonde enough time to get in before the redhead started driving. The rest of the drive was mostly quiet, well other than the sound of Ran reeving the engine at every light they hit. The funniest the about it was that Ran had no idea he was doing it, that and the fact that he was going sixty. Ran pulled up to the garage and parked. He glanced at the clock on his dash board. 1:45.

"See Ran. You didn't need to hurry. Now we're fifteen minutes early. Next time, you don't need to drive sixty." The redhead glanced at him and glared in annoyance. "And here I thought I was the fast one."

Ran, ignoring his coworker, got out of the car and started walking into the garage. With a light chuckle Yoji got out of the car and followed his redheaded friend. They entered the garage and looked around. No sign of the young brunette mechanic. Ran looked at Yoji briefly before heading into the office.

The burly man of a mechanic looked up from his sandwich in time to see two men enter the office. On he recognized from a few days prior, the other was a total stranger. "Yes?"

"We talked to one of your mechanics about looking at a car."

The man a raised a brow. "Oh? So you're the ones whose going to look at her. I can guarantee satisfaction, but don't tell the boy I said that. He has a big enough ego as it is."

"Speaking of which. Is he here?" The red head looked around the office, there was no sign of the boy here either.

"It's his day off. He went out for a while. But he said he'd be back for ya." The man went back to munching on his lunch.

"It's his day off?" Ran looked at Yoji who just shrugged.

"Normally the kid disappears for the entire day, but he said he'd be back. And if there's one thing that kid's good with, other than cars, it's honesty. Never told a lie in his god damn life." He took another bite from his sandwich. "Which gets his sorry ass in trouble more often then not." Throwing the last piece in his mouth he swallowed noisily before taking a quick drink of cold coffee. "Just wait around he'll be back. Dunno when though. But it's not like the kid has any other place to go." He mumbles to himself.

Now even Yoji became curious and he had never even met the boy. "What do you mean?"

The man looks at him before wiping his hands on his pants. With a grunt he gets up and makes his way into the garage, motioning for the others to follow. After a short distance he stops. He turns to them before point to the roof. "Ya see the little loft up there above the cars?" The two business men nod. "That's where the kid lives."

Ran just stares, slightly shocked at this new revelation. "He sleeps in this garage?"

"Yep." He heads back into the office.

Ran follows, with Yoji trailing behind. "Why?"

"Why else? Can't afford to live anywhere else." He looks at him and Yoji briefly before grunting. "Not everyone grew up with money in their pocket. Found the kid on the streets ten years back. Told him he could sleep in 'ere if he helped out. The ungrateful brat became a better mechanic than I am. Dumb ass. Dunno what the kid does with all his money though. Either way, not my business." The man turns on a nearby television and turns his back on them. "Wait in the garage. He'll be back shortly."

The two make there way back into the garage. Ran stares up at the loft for a moment, wondering what it would be like to have to live in a cold garage for ten years.

Yoji watched as his friend continued to stare at the loft above the cars and tools. Now Yoji Kudou was not stupid, he was very good at piecing two and two together. "Wonder why this mechanic intrigues Ran so? I can't wait to meet him." He was just about to ask Ran the very same thing when a loud rumbling caught both him and Ran off guard. Within seconds a sleek black motorcycle pulled into the garage. What surprised Ran was not that it was loud, but that there was two people on it. The driver turned off the ignition and kicked the kick stand. The driver stretched before pulling off his helmet. A tinge of familiarity struck Ran once again as he looked at the driver. The driver had dark brown hair with golden skin and the most odd shade of blue eyes he had ever seen. No, they weren't blue, they were teal. Strange. The brunette turned and looked at him and Yoji.

"Am I late?" The boy pulled back his jacket and looked at his watch. Ran, on the other hand, couldn't even speak. This was the same mechanic he met all those days ago? The boy looked completely different, that was probably due to the lack of grease on his face. In face the boy looked amazingly clean, not a speck of dirt. What surprised Ran most of all was that the boy was actually kind of attractive. How could a boy, who spent ten years in a garage, end up looking so... good? Ran found his eye's traveling to the form behind the brunette. A school uniform? He recognized the uniform from a prestigious high school that wasn't too far from here. The passenger took of his helmet before sliding of the bike. Ran observed the young boy who looked no older than 16. Blond hair down to his chin framed his almost baby-like face. The most noticeable thing about the boy was his large blue eyes. Never in all of Ran's life had he seen eyes like that, especially on a boy. And by judging the almost gasping sound Yoji made next to him, he assumed that the blonde hadn't either.

Yoji stared at the brunette for a moment. "Maybe Ran doesn't need my little black book after all." He thought to himself with a slight chuckle. Then his eyes traveled to the passenger. The boy was beautiful in a way that he thought only girls could be. His big blue eyes, blond hair, and thin framed screamed innocence. The boy looked pure. The boy's eyes turned to him, and for some reason or another he found himself smiling. "Shit this kid is going to be dangerous when he gets older."

"No, you're not. We're early." The redhead startles the blonde out of his thoughts. "This is Yoji Kudou, he's the one looking for the car." The brunette turned to the blonde and looked him over then smiled.

"Great! She's perfect for ya!." He turned to the boy besides him and mumbled a few things before turning back to the two men. "It's out back." He turns and starts walking towards the back exit of the garage.

Yoji turned and gave one last look to the small blonde before following the others out the door. "If he was only a few years older..." The blonde thought to himself.

A short walk later they arrived at a car covered in a canvas sheet. The blonde looked at it for a moment. It was odd, it was long. Not as long as a limo or anything, but long like an SUV, but it was short. Odd. The brunette turned to them and smile. "If ya don't like this one I have more, but I have a feelin' that ya won't need to look at the others." With one last bright smile he turned and pulled the sheet away from the car.

Silver, sleek, sexy, and power. Yoji was frozen to his spot, staring at the car in wonder. Never in all of his life had he seen a car like this. The front was elongated like a racing car but more square. The cab was topless with two seats and racing seat belts, as well as roll guards. It was beautiful. He walked up to it running his hand along it. He nearly gasped at the handcrafted leather interior. Without warning the blonde nearly glomped the silver car. He happily rubbed his face against the cool metal. "I'm in Looooove!" Ran rolled his eyes and the brunette just laughed. "It's perfect! Exactly what I was looking for, and yet nothing I expected. I've never seen a car like this. Dear lord it's beautiful." He went off on a happily little rant. After calming himself some he released the car and looked at the brunette. "What is it?"

"Well It's kind of an original creation. I had a lot of spare parts from other cars so I just kind of started on it and it came out like this. It's one of a kind." The brunette scratches the back of his head and laughs nervously. "Here, test it out." The brunette tossed Yoji the keys.

Yoji grinned and hopped into the car. He sat down and looked around and sighed happily. After a moment of admiring it's beauty, he turned it on. Yoji nearly squealed with joy as he stepped on the gas. Beauty and power, what more could a guy ask for? After a moment of playing around he turned it off and hugged the steering wheel. "Raaaaaan. I want it!"

"Then quit whining and buy it already."

The blonde nodded and hopped out of the car, tossing the keys to Ran. "So how much?" He tried to act collect, but he wasn't fooling anyone. They all knew he would buy it no matter how much the mechanic asked.

"Well, there's a lot of work in there, and a lot of parts. So... about... One fifty." The brunette wasn't trying to rip the blonde off, it was just a fucking expensive car, not to mention it was one of a kind. Actually if anything the brunette should have charged him more.

Yoji looked at Ran. "That's kind of steep..." He trailed off. The brunette looked slight worried, while Ran just rolled his eyes. "Just kidding!" The blonde turned and smiled. "Of course I'll take it!" With that the blonde pulled out a check book.

"What are you going to do with your old car?" Yoji never thought ahead sometimes.

"I'm keeping it for work. THIS is my play car. This is my gift to me." The blonde said happily. He turned to the brunette once again. "Who do I make it out to?"

"Hidaka repair."

Yoji scribbled the rest of the check before handing it to the brunette. "Now what kind of car would you call this?"

"Well, I made a few cars before it but they all were replicas, since this is not, I thought I would name it after the number of cars I had made at that point." The blonde raises and eyebrow. "Seven. Her name is Seven."

The blonde to the car for a moment then smile. "Seven. I like that. It fits. So you do this kind of stuff all the time I take it? Why?"

The brunette looked at him for a moment then grinned. "I dunno. cause it's fun? I suppose it beats doin' nothin'."

'I dunno. cause it's fun? I suppose it beats doin' nothin'. Ran stared for a moment. "Where have I heard that before? I know I've heard that before." Suddenly it hit him like a ton of bricks. It HAD heard it before. He had heard it from a brunette oh so many years ago. "It can't be..." He looked at the mechanic again.

Yoji was busy talking with the mechanic when he heard a loud noise behind him. Both the mechanic and the blonde turned to look at the redhead. "OI! Those are my keys!" He bitch at the redhead, but to his dismay, his complaint went unheard. He was about to bitch some more when he noticed the look on his friends face.

Ran simply turned his gaze to the brunette. Shock apparent in his gaze. "Its you."

XXXX

MWFAFAFA! I'm so evil! Cliff hanger-chan! Lol hope you guys enjoyed!


	4. Reactions and Decisions

Rebellion 2 Fate: Munchkin! lol. Lol. I know I'm super evil! You'll be glad to know that this chapter probably won't be ending in a cliff hanger. But we'll see. Thanks for the review.

Shikigami-kun: I'm glad you like it! I hope it continues to be interesting. Anyways, thanks for the review!

RubyMoon: I'm glad you you like where it is going. I do too. It's fun to write, and it's nice to know people enjoy reading it. Thank you so much for the review.

Kirei Aya: OO I've been uber attacked. Well It's good that you like it. I have a feeling if I don't get my chapters out quick enough my life will be in danger. lol. I will try to get my updates out as soon as possible. Thanks and keep reading.

BoXx: gosh. You're making me get a big ego. I'm glad you like the story and I hope you continue to enjoy it. Thanks for the kind review.

bWeiss: lol. Will do. I'm glad you like it. Thanks for the review.

HeatherR: Lol. Reviewers are more demanding these days. Which is actually a good idea, because the more you guys demand for more, the quicker I write it. Also the reviewers, such as yourself, who ask questions get me to think more about details and the story. So thank you for the inspiration and the review.

Hentai Y Slave: No, it isn't safe to leave Yoji alone with work. You read your heart is mine? That is a golden oldie. I still need to finish that. I got stuck on the last chapter. I love writing Au fics. They're fun and can be really good if you keep the characters write. Which is the most important thing to me when writing any story. I haven't seen that many good RanXKen fics for a while either, except for yours. Not that the others aren't good, they just all seem super dramatic. But I saw the lack of Ran Ken stories and decided to fix it. Also I must admit that I do enjoy your stories as well. I especially like the "Ken and I" and the "Ran and I" stories. I hope that you get a chance to continue in the near future. Thanks for the review.

Elishaann: Thanks you! I plan on it!

himawari: lol. I'm glad you like it! That makes me happy. I will update as soon as possible. Thanks for the review.

Disclaimer: I don't own Weiss. I don't own a lot of things, so don't sue me, you'll get nothing. This story is mine. If I find out that someone ripped it off, I will be angry and you wouldn't like me when I'm angry! lol. I also do not own "the Hulk".

Warnings: Shonen-ai. Boy Boy love. All the good stuff. Don't like it? Don't read it. I have a feeling though, if you read Weiss fanfics, you do like it. So enjoy!

Pairings: RanXKen, YojiXOmi. What can I say? I'm a creature of habit.

AN: Sorry it's a short chapter, I had a hard time writing this one. Thanks for all the reviews.

Thanks for the reviews and keep 'em coming!

Chapter 3

Reactions and Decisions

"Ken-kun? Are you listening to me?"

The brunette looked at his blonde friend for a moment before sighing. "Not really." He said honestly. "Sorry Omi." He felt bad, he really did. He should be listening to his friend, but his thoughts were preoccupied at the moment.

"That's alright." The blonde took a drink from his soda. "Is this about that guy?"

The brunette raised a brow. "Sort of." The smaller blonde waited for him to continue. "I... I did something a long time ago that... well I... I don't know if he'll forgive me."

"Is that why we left in a hurry?"

Ken buried his face in his hands. He didn't really want to think about it.

xXflashbackXx

Ran simply turned his gaze to the brunette. Shock apparent in his gaze. "It's you."

Yoji turned and looked at his friend. "What are you talking about?" Again the blonde went unheard.

"It's... you." Ran repeated, this time taking a few steps toward the blonde and the mechanic. Yoji looked at his friend for a moment then turned to the mechanic who was just staring blankly at the redhead.

Finally the brunette pulled out of his stupor long enough to reply. "I-I don't k-know what you're talking about. We... We've never met before." He shifts nervously from one foot to the other. Yoji could tell the boy was lying, in fact anyone in hearing range could tell the boy was lying. He was a rotten liar. Perhaps that's why he never lies.

Ran took the last few steps between him and the mechanic. He stared at the boy for a few moments. "It is you. Ken." Yoji arches a brow. So the redhead did know the mechanic. He turned and watched the brunette for his response.

The brunette was silent for a few long minutes. "I..." He trails off. With a deep breath he looks up at the redhead. "Hey Ran, long time no... see?" He says nervously. This was followed by more awkward silence. Yoji looked between the two. Ran looked like he didn't know what to say. While this "Ken" on the other hand, looked like he was debating whether to hug the red head or to run for his life. Yoji figured he was leaning towards the latter. Ran just had that affect on people. Yoji couldn't stand the silence anymore.

"So I can take the car home today?"

The brunette was startled out of his silence. "Uhh... yeah. Um let me know if it's running weird at all or anything. It should be fine though..." He looks at the red head again. "I uhh... I should be going. I um promised my friend that I would uh take him to lunch." He turns to the blonde once again. "I hope you enjoy Seven, she's a good car."

Yoji grins and nods. "I will."

Ken turns and looks at Ran once more. "I'll umm see y'all later. If you have any questions, the boss will know." With that he turns and walks back into the garage, tripping slightly on some spare parts. Yoji follows the brunette followed by the dazed red head.

"Ken-kun? What's wrong?" The brunette ignores his friend a pulls on his helmet. The blonde just looks at the two men then back to his friend. With a sigh he pulls on his helmet as the brunette starts the engine.

xXend flashbackXx

"Argh!" The brunette ruffles his hair. "I'm such an idiot!" Omi blinks up at him. "'Hey Ran, Long time no see.' I can't believe I said that! How lame. I'm such a retard."

Omi rolls his eyes. "Stop beating yourself up. What's done is done." The brunette didn't seem satisfied with this answer, but he did stop his little lament for the time being. "So are you going to talk to him about whatever it is that you did?"

Ken gave his friend a scandalized look. "Are you joking!" Again, the blonde just rolled his eyes. "I don't think I'll ever see him again, let alone talk to him!"

"Ken-kun you're being over dramatic." The blonde said to his friend, trying to calm the hysterical brunette down.

"I'm not being over dramatic! I just know he's gotta be piss at me! I would be if I was him." He took a big bite out of his hamburger.

"Well maybe if you explained what happened, then maybe he wouldn't be mad at you." The blonde took another drink from his soda.

"Pssh!" He spit hamburger allover the table and the blonde. "Yeah riiiiight. After ten years without so much as a hello? I doubt it."

The blonde wiped the hamburger from his face. "First of all, gross! Secondly, you're being dumb. I don't know what the big deal is. Just tell him what happened and if he doesn't forgive you then you don't want to be his friend anyway." Ken eyed his warily. The boy did have a point, but he still was nervous about the whole thing.

"Omi it's not like we can go back to being best friends even if he forgives me. Things just don't work that way." He said with a sigh.

"So? So what if you don't go back to being friends. Big deal. You have me." The blonde pats the brunette hand. "Don't worry about it so much."

"I know but..."

"...but it would be nice if it all worked out." The blonde grinned at him.

"I thought that it didn't matter?"

"Well of course it doesn't matter." The blonde's grin just grew even bigger, if that was possible. "Though it would be nice if you could be friends again, that way I could see more of that hot guy who was with him."

Ken nearly chocked on his soda. "You mean that Kudou guy?" Omi nodded happily. Ken just rolled his eyes. "Thanks for being on my side."

"I am, it would just be a nice bonus, you know?"

"I hate to burst your little bubble but from what Ra-Fujimiya said the guy is a total player."

Omi just smiled at him. "I know. I could totally tell." He pulled out his wallet before placing a few bucks on the table. "I just wouldn't mind seeing him again, that's all. I mean he's totally eye candy."

"Oh to be in puberty again." Ken chuckled lightly as he put down a few bucks as well.

"HEY! How many times do I have to tell you! I just find hot guys aesthetically pleasing. It's the same as admiring a nice piece of art." He gets up and clears his stuff from the table.

"Omi I don't think it's quite the same."

Yoji stared at the car in front of him. "I wonder how Ran knows that mechanic?" The thought to himself as he followed the redhead back to the office, or at least so he thought. After a few minutes of driving he realized they had passed the office. "Where the hell is he going? Ran never skips out on work." With a deep sigh he continued to follow the redhead. "I wonder if him skipping out on work has anything to do with this Ken guy?"

Now Ran was a silent guy, but he always had something to say when he needed to. Well at least that was the case normally, this time, not so much. That was the first time Yoji had seen Ran so completely and utterly speechless. The red head just stood there and stared, his mouth opening and then closing like a fish out of water. Yoji would have laughed at the expression if he hadn't been so damn confused. Just who the hell what this guy? At first Yoji thought he might have been an ex lover of Ran's but he quickly deserted that assumption. The tension between them was not like that of ex lovers, it was something else, something deeper, something more meaningful. And that pissed Yoji off. Ran and him had been buddies for nearly three years now, and despite how they acted they were actually really good friends. They new everything about each other. Well at least Yoji thought he knew everything about the redhead. The red head even told him about his dead sister, but he never once mention this 'Ken'. What the hell happened between the two to make Ran so angry, or at least forget.

He stopped behind Ran's car at the red head's mansion. "When did I get here?" He asked himself. Apparently he had been so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn't even noticed where he was at. He jumped out of his car and ran up to the redhead as he got out of his car. "Ran, just what the hell is going on? You never skip work!"

Ran glared at him before tossing his keys to one of his servants. "Nothing. Go home Yoji."

The blonde was officially pissed. There was no way in hell he would just leave this alone, especially when the red head was so upset about it. "Is this about that Ken guy?" The redhead just turned and glared at him harder before walking away.

Yoji rushed to catch up. "Just who the hell is that guy Ran? I've never heard you talk about him, not once. Then all of the sudden he shows up from out of the blue and you go all freaky." Ran turned to him, trying to kill him with his death glare of doom. "I mean really Ran. I thought we were friends. How could you leave out someone so important."

"He's not important."

"Oh yeah sure he's not. That's why you skipped work. That's why you were speechless. That's why you kept wanting to go back to that mechanic place. That's why you're so upset. Because he's not important." Yoji barely had time to blink as the red head grabbed the collar of his shirt and nearly dragged him off the ground.

"It is none of your business. If I say it's not important, it's not important. It was a long time ago. Things have changed and they can never be the way they were." With that he dropped the blonde to the ground. Ran turned to walk away.

Yoji coughed and hacked trying to get some air into his lungs. "How do you know?" Ran turned back to him. "How do you know they can't be the same? Is it something you don't want? Or is it something you're afraid to ask for?" The blonde let out a slight chuckle. "You know out of all the years I've known you, I've never known you to be a quitter." He got up and dusted himself up. "If you want something bad enough, you'd find away. Then again, it's not my place to say anything." With a wave of his hand he turned to leave the house.

"It isn't your place." The red head growled to the blonde's retreating back before stalking off to his room.

Ran didn't have much of an appetite that night. Yoji's words made sense, though he would never tell the blonde that. He wasn't sure what to do about the whole thing, and it pissed him off. He always knew what to do, how to fix things, how to handle any situation. This, though, this he was not expecting. He had no idea what to do in this situation and he'd be damned before he'd ask Yoji for help. Besides this was one of those things he needed to figure out on his own.

Ken. The boy who saved him all those years ago. The boy who was currently sleeping in a loft in a run down garage.

For once in his life he felt ashamed. He spent years hurt and upset that the brunette never once tried to contact him. Never once did he think that the brunette might be suffering, that he might want to talk to Ran as badly as Ran wanted to talk to him. Ran knew he could never understand how the brunette felt. Ran had grown up with a family, with money, with everything he could possibly need. While Ken on the other hand, had nothing. He had the orphanage until he ran off, but then, nothing. Ran couldn't even begin to fathom what that would be like. Spending each day not knowing where to stay. Always wondering if it would be another day without food. That was something he would never understand and he was glad. Ken knew all these things. Ken spent his last ten years in a garage, sleeping with cars and being forced to work for practically free.

Ran shifted in his chair and turned to look at the phone.

The way he had reacted that morning was embarrassing to say the least. He just sat there not saying anything. Ten years and he couldn't even manage a 'Hello' to the boy. The boy who kept him from turning into a total shrew.

He looked back at the phone. "Or is it something you're afraid to ask for?" Yoji's words hit him once again. He hated the blonde for being right. He was afraid. He was afraid that he wouldn't know how to become friends with Ken again. He was afraid of going back to his dull daily routine. He was afraid of nothingness.

He set down his book and stood. He looked over at the phone then to his book. With clenched fists he walked over to the phone and pulled it from it's receiver. He refused to be weak. He wanted to live again, and maybe, just maybe, Ken could show him how.

XXXX

Weird chapter I know. I had a hard time with this one. I hope you guys like it though. I have a feeling the next one will be much easier. Please review!


	5. Bachelor

Disclaimer: I don't own Weiss or the characters. I do own the story though. If I find out that you ripped off my story I will draw on your face! With permanent marker! DUN DUN DUN! ...eat that for salad.

Warning: Boys who like boys. Yay! throws confetti Also there is some swearing and by some I mean Ken just got a new shipment in this morning so there will be plenty.

Pairings: If ya haven't guessed by now, then you're probably the type of person who doesn't even realize this is shonen-ai in the first place. RanXKen, YojiXOmi.

AN: I can't decided if I liked the reaction to the last chapter. There was a lack of reviews, which made me sad. On the other hand, lack of reviews is better than threatening ones I suppose. All well. This is for my loyal readers who review. Thanks ya all.

AN: I'm sorry for the tardiness of this chapter and the last one. I had three costumes that needed to be finished by this weekend, so I've been bustin' my non existent balls to get them done. Now that it's done you'll have more of my attention. Sorry this chapter is so freakin short, the next one will be super long, I promise.

Chapter 4

Bachelor

With a yawn the brunette pushed the creeper, as well as himself, underneath the car he was currently working on. This is just what he needed. Distraction. Ever since the run in with Ran earlier he had been on edge. He assumed that once the red head left the nervousness would as well. Apparently that was not the case. In fact he felt worse then he had when the red head was standing in front of him. "Ran.." He shook the thoughts away and continued to work on the vehicle above him.

The one thing that bothered him most was the red head's reaction, or lack there of. He had no idea what was going through the red head's mind. Ran's face had given away nothing, and Ken had left before the red head had much time to react. He had no idea what was going to happen, if anything at all. The red head could come in here and beat the shit out of him or he could just disappear from Ken's life again, this time by choice. That thought kind of bothered him. He understood that Ran probably didn't want to see him again, not after what he had done., but for some reason he kept hoping. Hoping for what though? He wasn't quite sure. Maybe forgiveness, maybe friendship. Either way both seemed unlikely.

The phone suddenly rang, causing the brunette to jump, hitting his head on the car's exhaust pipe. "Shit!" He slid out from under the car and rubbed the bruise that was most likely forming on the top of his head. The phone continued to ring urgently. "I'm comin', I'm comin'." He walked over and grabbed the phone from the receiver. "Hello. Hidaka Repair, how may I help you?" Silence. He looked at the phone before putting it back to his ear. "Hello?"

"Ken?" The brunette froze. "Ken, it's Ran." The brunette let out a shaky breath before sitting down abruptly.

"H-how did you get this number?" He nearly smacked himself as soon as the words left his mouth.

There was silence for a moment. "You're my mechanic remember? Why wouldn't I have this number?"

Ken let out a nervous laugh. "Of course. Silly me. Why wouldn't you have our number? I mean you sent your car here only a few days a-"

"We need to talk." The red head interrupted.

Ken was silent for a moment. He let out a deep sigh. "Yeah..." There was silence on the other line. "Listen, Ran, I'm sor-"

"No." The red head interrupted once again. "Not like this." The red head sounded almost hesitant.

"Wha'?" Not the most intelligible thing to say, but at the moment confusion beat his pride.

"I want to talk to you..." The red head faded off for a moment. "...in person."

The brunette stared at the phone. In person? Ran actually wanted to see him again? "Umm... Okay." He wasn't sure why he agreed, but he couldn't go back now.

"Tomorrow?"

The brunette nodded. After a moment he realized what he had done. "Um... yeah that's fine. I work though."

"Seven?" The brunette agreed and took down the address of where he was to meet the red head.

"I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" He asked nervously.

"Yes. I'll see you then." With that both hung up.

Ken sat there for a few minutes staring at the phone, replaying the conversation in his head. "Why did I agree!" He ran his hand frustratingly through his hair. It was bad enough as it is, but now he was supposed to go see him? The brunette wasn't sure if he should be nervous, or scared, so he settled for a little bit of both.

XXXX

Yoji set down a cup of coffee in front of the drowsy red head. "You look like shit Ran." Yoji had never seen the red head so... tired? The man was practically sleeping on his desk. His partner looked like he hadn't slept all night, and Yoji pretty much knew why. After leaving Ran's yesterday he felt pretty bad. He had been a little harsh, honest, but harsh nonetheless. The red head never pried into his personal life, though Yoji wasn't quite sure if it was out of respect or lack of interest. So he felt bad for turning around and prying into his. It wasn't just for his entertainment, he genuinely worried about colleague. The man needed to get a little more out of life, and Yoji wasn't about to let him pass up an opportunity such as this one.

"I'm fine." The red head took a sip of the coffee and sighed. He just wanted to drink his coffee in peace and go on with his day.

"Ya don't look fine." He pushed slightly. He didn't want to push the red head into violence like he had yesterday, so he figured he'd push him to the edge and then run like hell.

"Hm." He took another sip of the steaming coffee. The blonde could be riding a unicycle stark naked for all he cared, just as long as he had his coffee.

Yoji raised a brow. "You're ignoring me." Ran didn't respond. "We just lost a million dollars." Still the red head ignored him. "That mechanic called a few minutes ago while you were passed out on the desk."

The red head looked up from his coffee. "What?"

"I lied." He grinned. "Finally I got your attention." The red head glared at him then went back to drinking his coffee and reading the morning newspaper. "It's like talking to a wall. Why do I even bother?" The blonde turned to his own work and tried to concentrate for at least a little while.

XXXX

He took the cigarette from his mouth and threw it to the ground, stepping on it as he walked on. "Dear lord it took me hours to convince Ran to go home and sleep." The red head had been very reluctant to leave work undone, but after a few hours of Yoji's bitching, he decided he had enough and went home. Yoji took that as an invitation to take the day off as well. "Go home, hit the shower, take it easy for a while then head to the club for some fun." Despite what Ran thought, Yoji could plan. Well as long as included things that were to his interest.

Now Yoji Kudou was not necessarily a lazy man, he just enjoyed comfort and pleasure. He was more hedonistic then lazy. He enjoyed pretty things and places. Which is why he lived where he lived. Yoji resided in a penthouse in downtown Tokyo, in one of the largest complexes in the entire city. And if that wasn't enough he owned one of the largest penthouses in the entire building. It's not that he really needed the space, it was more of a comfort thing. A two story comfort thing. He had a large living room as well as a den with a minibar, a large kitchen and an even larger bedroom. He also had guest rooms and extravagant bathrooms that could rival the best of hotels. So he liked to be comfortable? It's not like there was anyone else around to complain about the vast amount of space.

The only company Yoji kept was the temporary kind. He enjoyed his commitmentless flings and would continue to enjoy them for years to come. It wasn't that he opposed the idea of settling down. It was more like there wasn't anyone worth settling with. The people he met knew of him, of his money, of what they could gain by being with him. So he stayed a bachelor, preferring loneliness to false feelings from some gold digger.

He looked up at the building he called home. "Another day, another name in my book." He thought to himself. He was halfway up the stoop of his building when a small wail caught his attention. He looked up to see a small form struggling with a few dozen flowers in each arm. He ran up the rest of the stairs just in time to catch the small figure before they lost all of their balance. "Hey you alright? Here let me help you with that." He grabbed a few of the bouquets from the person's arms.

The figure turned to him and smiled. "Thanks. I thought I was going to fall for a minute there."

Yoji nearly dropped the bouquets in his arms as he took in the smiling face before him. It was the boy from the garage. The small blonde who had accompanied the young mechanic.

Not hearing a reply the florist turned to the man who had helped him so graciously. His eyes widen slightly. "Oh! It's you!" The smile made it's way back onto the smaller blonde's face. "I met you at the garage the other day didn't I?"

"Yeah." Yoji struggled to get a better hold on the flowers he now carried. With his free hand he opened the door, allowing the smaller blonde to enter first.

"Thank you." He walked in and looked around in awe. The lobby to the building was huge.

"So what brings you to this section of town?" The smaller blonde glances over at him and smiles.

"I'm making a delivery." He pulls a piece of paper out of his pocket.

"Oh? These are all for one person?" He looked at the flowers in his hands.

"Yep." He looks at the piece of paper once again. "Someone named Yoji Kudou."

The taller blonde blinked. "That's me." The smaller blonde looked up at him, surprise clearly evident on his face.

"Really?" The man nodded. "Then I guess these are yours."

"From who though?" The blonde looked at the flowers. Who would send him this many flowers? He hadn't been particularly nice to anyone, and it wasn't his birthday or anything.

"Minna Tomone." He hands him a card that came with the flowers. The taller blonde opened it and looked over the contents.

Yoji let out a disgruntled sigh. "Dear lord that women never learns." The smaller blonde raises a brow. "The daughter of some rich politician. She's had a thing for me for a while, but she just doesn't take the hint that I'm not interested."

"I see." The smaller blonde looks at the flowers. "What about the flowers?"

"Might as well throw them away. I don't want them."

"What?" The little blonde glares up at the taller man. "You shouldn't waste them! There's no reason not to keep them. Their going to die anyway."

Yoji stared down at the little blonde ranting and raving at him about flowers. With a smile he reached over and ruffled the blonde's hair. "Fine, fine. I'll keep them. Help me take them to my room." The boy looked up at him for a moment before nodding and following him into an elevator.

"I'm Omi." The blonde smiles at him.

"Yoji. Yoji Kudou."

XXXX

I hope you enjoyed! I'll update soon.


	6. Doors

Disclaimer: I don't own Weiss or the characters. Takehito does. Since it's takehito I suppose it's okay that he owns them. Just because he's freakin awesome.

Warnings: Shonen-ai! In other words, boys who like boys. Just how I know you guys like it. My beta did read half of this chapter and I wrote it in the wee hours of the morning so if it's off, I apologize.

Pairings: RanXKen, eventually. YojiXOmi, eventually. Who knows when it will happen though.

AN: Sorry it took a while to get out, I got sick and a little stuck on this chapter. So this fic is turning out waaaay longer than I thought it would. I suppose the demand is keeping it as such. So expect quite a few more chapters. Yay! Thanks again to all my reviewers. You're keeping this fic alive. I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Chapter 5

Doors

The brunette looked up at the large structure in front of him. "This... this is a house!" He looked around at the lush gardens and fountains. It looked like a museum or something. "Ran actually lives here?" He mumbled to himself as he approached the front door. He briefly wondered if the red head ever got lost walking through his own house. He stepped up to the door and raised his hand to knock but paused. There was no turning back now. With a deep breath he knocked. After a moment of nervous silence the door opened.

"The master has been expecting you." Ken just blinked at the old man. Master? The title didn't seem to fit the red head but he just shrugged and followed the butler inside. Ken looked around in shock. Never in all his life had he seen a place like this. He took field trips when he was at the orphanage to museums and art gallery's but none of them began to compare to this place. The roof was high and the walls were lined with art work and portraits. The butler let out a cough to gain the brunette's attention and continued walking. Ken blushed slightly before following the butler. Ken had a feeling that if he lost sight of the man then he would spend the rest of his days wondering through the large house. Ken looked into each room as he passed them, each one more impressive then the one before. "If Ran forgives me, I'll have to get him to show me around." The brunette knew it was unlikely but for some reason he kept hoping. Though why should the red head forgive him? He was the one who disappeared without a word for ten years. He let out a deep sigh and continued to follow the butler. After a few minutes of long hallways he found him self standing in front of two large oak doors.

The butler knocked. "Mr. Hidaka is here sir." The butler turned to the brunette. "You may enter now." With that the butler turned and walked away. The red head had given him specific orders and planned on following them even if it meant leaving some scoundrel with him.

Ken looked at the door for a moment before pushing it open. Hesitantly he stuck his head inside. "Come in." He nearly jumped at the red head's seemingly calm voice. He pushed the door opens more before entering the large room. This room had been unlike any of the others he had seen. From floor to ceiling were bookshelves filled with books. He looked around and noticed a ladder leaning against the wall as well as some books resting on the top of it. Against one of the walls was a fire place. Ken couldn't believe it. He had already seen one fire place on the way in and then here was another. Never had he seen a home with two fireplaces before. In the center of the room, facing the lit fireplace was two large chairs and a small table in between them with two fresh cups of tea sitting upon it. He glanced nervously at the chair where the red head sat. The red head stood and looked at his guest. "Please sit." The brunette nodded nervously and walked over to where the red head was. Ken took in the red heads appearance and was suddenly glad he dressed as nice as he did. The red head was wear slacks and a button up shirt, which normally Ken would consider very formal, but on the red head it seemed almost casual. With a deep breath he sat down on the large chair offered to him. He nearly squeaked as he sunk into the surprisingly soft chair. Funny, it hadn't looked all that comfortable. The red head watched him for a moment before taking a seat as well. "Would you like some tea?" The red head pointed to the cup that was set next to his chair.

"Yes, thank you." Ken managed to get out. He took the cup and sipped at it before setting it down. "It delicious, thank you." Ken shifted slightly in his seat. He was uncomfortable and not because of the chair or the man across from him. He was uncomfortable because he wasn't used to being so polite. It's not that he couldn't be polite, it just wasn't his thing and he felt fake whenever he tried to be too polite. Though he would sacrifice his comfort for this case. Ken knew the red head grew up in a rich atmosphere so being himself just wasn't acceptable.

"Ken." The red head began but trailed off. "I thank you for your consideration, but there is no need to be so formal. You may relax."

The brunette let out a deep sigh and slumped slightly against the chair. "Thank you." He was truly grateful that the redhead noticed his discomfort. After a moment of uncomfortable silence Ken spoke up. "If our younger selves could see us right now they would be laughing. Well I would be laughing, you would be rolling your eyes."

"Very true." The red head took a sip of his tea.

Ken stared at him for a moment. Man would his younger self be kicking him right about now for being so uncomfortable around the red head. When had he grown into such a wimp? Here he was sitting in front of one of the only people in his life he felt comfortable around and he couldn't even talk to him.

"Ken I..."

"No. Ran listen, I'm sorry." He knew it was rude of him to interrupt the red head, but he just couldn't sit there and do nothing. "I... I never meant to leave you like that." The red head seemingly gave up on whatever he has wanted to say and was watching the brunette and listening intently. "Things just happened. I... I had to get away." Ken fidgeted nervously with the hem of his shirt. "I wanted to see you. Really I did. But I knew if I did your parents would tell the orphanage where I was and I didn't want to go back." He stole a glance at the red heads expressionless face. "I hope you can understand. I know you can't forgive me, but at least try to understand. I didn't belong there, I knew it, they knew it, everyone knew it. I just needed to find a place where I belonged."

"Even if that place is some run down garage?" The red head asked arching a brow.

Ken blushed slightly. "Yes, even if it was some run down garage." He looked at his feet and sighed. "I spent everyday for years wanting to go to that park. I wanted to run up and see you sitting there reading a book with your mother. But I... but I couldn't." With one last heavy sigh he looked up at the red head, making eye contact with the man. "I'm sorry Ran." With that he was done. He wasn't sure if he should get up and leave or sit there and wait for the red head to respond. He settled for staring at his feet instead.

"I don't want your apologies." The red head said almost coldly to him.

Ken looked up at the red head, he was hurt by the red head's harshness, but he understood, he had been expecting it. With an understanding nod he stood but stopped as the red head reached out and grabbed his arm. Ken turned and looked at the red head.

The red head's eyes softened, and he smiled ever so slightly. "I don't need them. I was never mad at you. Frustrated maybe but not mad." He let go of the brunettes arm and sat back in his chair.

Ken's eyes widen and he turned to face the red head. "You... aren't mad at me?" The red head shook his head. "But I don't understand, why? You should be mad, I mean I just up and abandoned you with out giving you a reason or nothin'."

"I know what happened Ken." The brunette stares at him. "I know why you left, and I can understand your reasoning, however dumb it may be. Besides I know you suffered more than I did, so I suppose I can not take out my frustration on you who suffered so much."

Ken took a deep breath. "I see." He looked away from the red head, feeling embarrassed and ashamed of his actions ten years prior. "Still, I never should have done that. I was young and stupid and I didn't understand how hard it would be..."

"Yes, it was stupid, but did it not work out in the long run?"

Ken looks at him. "I don't know did it?" When no response came he shifted his weight onto his other leg. "I guess it did. I mean I'm happy now. I like working at the garage."

The red head nods. "Then that is good."

"Ran... I... I know I have no right to ask this of you, but since you've forgiven me.. I was hoping... that maybe we could..." The brunette trailed of looking away from the red head.

"Friends?"

"You're right, it was stupid of me to ask." The brunette turned once again to the door.

The red head stood and looked at his retreating form. "I would like that."

Ken paused mid stride and turned to look at him. "What?"

The red head looked away for a moment then back to the brunette. "I suppose my reasons for forgiving you are partially selfish." He motioned for the brunette to sit down and Ken did so. "I... Life has been very dull. It would seem that living is a problem for me. All my life I never really understood how to live. I suppose my forgiving you is partially because I was hoping that perhaps you could show me what I am missing." The brunette blinked a few times. "As you said you are happy even though you have nothing, I on the other hand, have everything I could ever need or want and yet I am unhappy."

Ken laughed loudly. "I see, that is why you've forgiven me."

"Don't misunderstand-"

"I'm fine with being your entertainment." He cut off the red head.

"Ken that's not what I meant." The red head tried to reason with the chuckling brunette.

"I know Ran, no need to be defensive." He smiled a bright smile up at the red head. "I'd be more than happy to help." The red head smiled slightly. "First thing you need to do is find a pond full of ducks and geese and chase them..." The red head just rolled his eyes. "Hey that's the point where you should laugh or something. Hmm. It would seem that I have my work cut out for me."

Xx A few hours later xX

"It gets better!" The brunette laughed slightly harder at the memory. "So he was all standing there being a total asshole and I went to walk away but I slipped in some grease and ran into a shelf knocking over three buckets of paint on to him! It was like instant karma! I laughed so hard I cried." He sat back and wiped his eyes still chuckling at the memory. "We nearly got sued, but it was totally worth it."

"You have certainly led an interesting life Ken."

"What? Oh, yeah, I guess I have." He scratches the back of his head and laughs. "I've been talking non-stop haven't I?" Ran nods and smiles slightly. "Sorry."

"You haven't changed."

"No I suppose I haven't." Ken grins at him. "You haven't either."

Ran arches a brow. "I haven't."

"Nah. You're a little bit more grumpy looking that's all." He laughs and the red head's almost shocked expression.

"Grumpy? You think I'm grumpy?" The throws a book at the brunette who ducks just in time.

"I mean you act like an old man and your stiff all the time like somebody died."

"Hn." The brunette spoke the blunt truth which had surprised Ran. He had gotten so used to people always telling him what he wanted to hear that it was shocking when somebody said something that was completely truthful. "I see that's how it is."

"Oh come on Ran, you know I was just being honest."

"Honest?" The red head glared at him. "I'll show you honest. You have a spot of grease on the back of your neck." If the brunette could say what he wished, then why couldn't he?

"Grease?" He reached back and found a spot just below his hair line. He looked at Ran before laughing heartily. "I suppose I do! Guess I missed a spot."

"You aren't offended that I pointed out a flaw in your appearance?"

The brunette looked at him as if he was crazy. "Why should I? You were right, there was still grease, it's funny."

The red head rolls his eyes and shakes his head. "I don't understand your logic."

"You don't have to understand everything. It's okay to be clueless sometimes... though I tend to abuse that privilege." The red head lets out a snort that could almost be considered a laugh. The brunette just smiles. "Me: one, Ran: zero."

"Idiot." The red head mumbles under his breath.

"You know, something has been buggin' me all night. Do you live here all by yourself?"

"For the most part."

Ken looks around the room then back to the red head. "What happened to your parents?"

"My father passed away a year ago."

"Sorry." The brunette interrupts.

"You didn't know."

"How about your mother?" The brunette interrupts once again.

"You know Ken, you interrupt a lot." The brunette just shrugs. "She's fine. Since my father died she's been traveling the world."

The brunette was quiet for a moment. "No wonder why you are like an old man. Leaving in this huge place by yourself, I would turn into a hermit too."

"Hermit?"

"I mean hermit in the nicest way possible." The brunette's smile faded as he dodged another flying book.

XXXX

"Holy shit. Are you... are you smiling?" The blonde braced himself against the table behind him. The red head just looked at his and rolled his eyes. "No harsh berating comments? Are you feeling ok?" The red head just walked past the blonde and into his office. "Did you get laid?"

Ran glared at the blonde, blushing ever so slightly. "No. Idiot."

"Something good must have happened, otherwise why would you been in such a... dare I say it, good mood." The blonde follows shutting the door behind him. "Come on, tell you're friend Yoji what divine intervention could have caused such a miracle."

"I believe the real miracle is me restraining myself from bashing in that smug face of yours."

The blonde put a hand over his heart. "I'm wounded Ran. I just wanted to know why you're so happy. I didn't deserve those malicious comments."

"It's a good thing you never tried to get into acting." The red head takes a seat at his desk. After a moment of silence he looks up at the blonde. "If you must know, I got in touch with an old friend last night."

"Ken I take it?"

The red head looks up at him and glares. "Yes."

"Got in... touch huh?" He raised his eyebrows suggestively.

At this point Ran's face actually turned red. "Does everything have to be about sex with you?"

"So? What's the problem?" Ran just rolled his eyes. "Not everything is about sex. I mean if it was I wouldn't be in here now would I? I mean you aren't going to give me any." After a moment of silence, he adds with a smile, "Are you?"

"Hn. You wish." The red head glared at the blonde for good measure.

"Nah. You're not my type. You'll always have a stick up your ass and how am I supposed to fit with-"

"KUDOU." The red head bellowed at his coworker.

"Sheesh. Alright. I get it. No sex. You're coming in loud and clear Ran-o." The red head glared at him. "You know if I was anybody else, I would be running for the hills right about now. Thankfully I'm not, and I know you wouldn't actually kill me, no matter how much you want to."

"Hn." The red head turns to the paperwork lying on his desk, trying to tune out the blonde.

"You know, something interesting happened to me last night." He took a seat on the red head's desk earning a disgruntled grunt from the said man.

'What you mean you didn't have sex?' Ran thought to himself, and would have said it out loud but that would've been immature and he wasn't willing to let the blonde see him lose his composure.

"I ran into that cute friend of Ken's yesterday." Ran gave the blonde a look that could almost be considered interested. "It's true. Cute boy, that kid. I asked him about you and Ken." The red head glared at him. "Sadly he didn't know much more than I do. He said that you guys used to be friends or something years ago, before Ken lived on the streets."

The red head's eyes widened slightly. "He was living on the streets?" The brunette hadn't mention that. He had just assumed that the brunette lived at the garage since he left the orphanage.

"You didn't know?" The look the red head gave him indicated that he, in fact, did not know. "Ohh. Well from what Omi said, Omi being Ken's friend, Ken had been living on the streets for a few months before he stayed at the garage."

Ran couldn't believe his ears. How could a nine year old live on the streets for so long? He just couldn't even begin to comprehend what the brunette went through. Guilt washed over the red head. All of his life he had everything he could possibly need and more, and he, more often than not, took that for granted. Ken, though, had nothing at one point in his life. Not even a roof over his head, and that was something Ran could never understand.

"I tried to keep the kid around a bit longer to tell me more, but he ended up leaving, got his number though. Remind me to call him when he turns eighteen."

Ran glares at him. "Felony Yoji. Felony."

"Hey, I said when he's eighteen." The blonde proceeded to take a cigarette from his pocket and lighted it up despite the disgusted look on the red head's face. "You know, that Ken isn't bad looking either." The blonde nearly jumped a foot in the air as Ran slammed his hands down behind the blonde.

"Kudou." He growled out.

"Dear lord Ran! Territorial much?" Ran growled as the blonde blew smoke in his face. "Besides, I wasn't saying that I was interested. I was thinking maybe you..." He trails off.

Ran blushes slightly before glaring once more and shoving the blonde off his desk. "Ken is a childhood friend, so I don't appreciate you implying that there ever could be anything more between us, that would just be wrong. Now if you don't mind, I have work to do, and I believe you do as well."

"You're no fun. But since you're not interested maybe I could give him a call and-" Yoji never got the chance to finish the sentence because he was literally chased out the door by a very disgruntled red head.

XXXX

"You look happy." Omi smiled at his friend.

"What?" The brunette looked over at him. "Oh yeah. I guess I am." He grinned before turning back to the car he was currently working on.

"So I take it everything went good last night." The blonde asked as he watched the brunette fiddle with some tubing in the car he was partially inside of.

Ken looked up at him and blushed slightly. "Uh yeah. It did." He went back to working on the car. "He said we could be friends again, which in all honesty, was more than I hoped for. I'm happy though."

"That's good. You know it's kind of funny, I ran into his hot friend yesterday."

"Hot friend?" The brunette asked from inside the car.

"Yoji-kun." A large thud was heared followed by a few swear words.

"Omi, What did I tell you about that guy."

Omi smiled. "He's a playboy, yadda, yadda, yadda. I just happened to be delivering flowers to his place. He was actually kind of nice." The brunette detangled himself from the car to give Omi a look. "What? He was. We got to talking, about you and Ran. He even asked me to stay so we could talk more, but sadly I had more delivery's to make, otherwise I would've loved to stay..." He trailed of dreamily.

"Omi..."

"Oh come on Ken-kun! I can think he's hot can't I?"

The brunette scratched the back of his head, unintentionally getting grease in his hair. "Well I guess so..."

"Besides Ken-kun, he would never go for someone like me. Guy's like that are never seen with guys like me."

"Omi that's not true. You're fine as you are. He would be stupid not to be interested."

"Are you hitting on me Ken-kun?" He laughed at the brunette as his face turned red.

"W-what!" The brunette sputtered.

"I was just kidding Ken-kun. I'm even less of your type then I am Yoji-kun's." The brunette rolled his eyes before going back to work on the car. "But you know who I think might be your type..." He trailed off for a moment. "Ran-san." He couldn't help but laugh as the brunette's head came in contact with the car hood as soon as he said that.

Ken rubbed the back of his head before pulling away from the car. He looked at the blonde with wide eyes. "W-what?"

"He's handsome, fairly nice and you've known him since you were a child. How is he not your type?"

"Let's see: He's rich, he's beautiful, he's quiet, he dresses nicely, and did I mention he's freakin beautiful! I mean how could he BE interested. Besides, I never said I was interested. I mean he's my friend, so it would be kind of weird. It would be as if I were to date you and that would just be strange."

"I suppose... but his friend's still hot." Ken just rolled his eyes and tried to go back to working on the car in front of him.

XXXX

Yay! Another chapter done! Phew, that was a long one. I hope you guys like it. Review if you like, I would enjoy it.


	7. Deliveries

Authors note: So… yeah it's only been what 4 years since I updated. Yeah… sorry about that. During these last 4 years I've been doing the whole college thing and my major keeps me super busy. But I haven't forgotten about this story or my readers so… here is the next chapter. I want to finish this story it may take a while but I'll do my best. So please enjoy and sorry for the delay.

Also this chapter is a little weak, but I am going somewhere with all this, I promise.

Chapter 7

Deliveries

"Thanks for your patronage, please come again."

The bells on the door chime signaling the departure of his last customer. Blue eyes wander the shop for any stragglers, seeing none the blonde sighs deeply and collapses onto the stool behind the register. "And it's not even our busy season." He mumbles to himself. Before he can make himself comfortable the phone rings disturbing any sense of tranquility he may have been approaching.

With an annoyed sigh he answers the phone. "Hello, this is the kone-" He pauses for a moment as he's interrupted. "Yes, we do have plenty of those kind of flowers… HOW MANY? Uhh ok. Alright, to whom would you like this delivered?" A grin slowly spreads across his normally innocent face. "Oh, of course, and this would be from? Very well, all I need is your billing information… yes, I've got it, thank you." With a quiet beep of the phone he turns it off and sets it aside.

With a small chuckle he pulls out his cell phone and fiddles with it before placing it against his ear.

"Hey kiddo! I wasn't expecting a call from you, what can I do you for?"

"Yes, I have an order here for ten dozen roses for one Yoji Kudou from one crazy stalker, to what address would you like them delivered? Your office perhaps? Or your apartment? Or should I just deliver them to the dumpster?"

"Not again!" The blonde on the other line makes a disgruntled noise of frustration.

"Well I can't very well refuse the business, but at the same time I figured you wouldn't want them so I thought I would call you first."

In reality the small blonde had just been looking for an excuse to call the older man.

"Yeah, you know that you have a stalker when your starting to smell like the flowers they're sending you. Seriously, It doesn't matter how many showers I take I still smell like fucking flowers. Even my coworkers are looking at me strangely…" There's a momentary pause, "and occasionally lustfully, seriously, what are you looking at?!"

Omi laughs to himself as he listens to the blonde yell at some unknown person. "So I should not deliver them then?"

"That would be a good assumption kiddo. Actually…. On second thought, can you deliver half a dozen of those to the office? Maybe even use some other kind of flower, I mean roses are kind of trite aren't they?"

"oh… um sure, that's no problem. If I can get that address…" He jots it down quickly. " and may I ask, why a change of thought?"

"Hmm. No." with that the older man hangs up, leaving a rather confused and mildly frustrated high schooler staring at his phone.

xXXx

"Sir, there's someone here to see you… umm were you expecting… umm should I send him in…?" The secretary asks almost hesitantly.

"Ah, send him in. Thanks." The older blonde smiles to himself, what a ruckus the boy must of cause coming up to see him with flowers. This will make for some good gossip in the morning.

The door opens with a quiet squeak as the boy pushes his way in. "Hello, Kudou-san, here's your delivery."

"I am most assuredly not old enough to be Kudou-san, please call me yoji. What's with the cute face?"

The said cute face in question is one of confusion and annoyance from the younger boy. "Kudo... Yoji-kun, if you don't want these flowers, like I'm sure you don't, then why did you make me come all the way out here to deliver them? Seriously, everyone looked at me strangely and I thought I was going to get frisked going through the security check." His look of mild annoyance turns to one of extreme annoyance as the older man laughs at his plight.

"Entertainment mostly…" The smaller boy lets out an annoyed grunt before setting down the flowers and turning to leave. "…If I hadn't had you deliver them, then I wouldn't have gotten to see you, now would I?"

Omi blushes slightly and turns back to face the blonde. "You could've just called me, you know, like a normal human being."

"Where's the fun in that? Huh kiddo?" Before Omi can respond he's grabbed by the shoulders and guided around the room. "So this is where the magic happens, well at least the PG kind of magic…" Omi just rolls his eyes as he lets the older man show him around. "…and this is where I put the work I do for-"

"Wait you work?" The boy asks curiously with tell tale signs of a devious smirk upon his lips.

"Think you're funny do you? I'll show you!" With that declaration the older man begins to chase the boy around the surprisingly spacious office until…

"KUDOU!! What are you doing?" With the authoritive bellow both blondes stop in mid pursuit.

"Oh hey Ran, Omi here was just making a delivery and has the gall to insinuate that I don't work." The older blonde says, attempting to look innocent.

"You don't work. That is, well at the moment anyways, not the problem. The problem is why are you chasing a fifteen year old boy around your office?!"

"I'm nearly eighteen…" The blonde mumbles off-handedly.

"Well, Ran-o, it's called fun, you should try it…" He trails off as realization sets in, nearly eighteen? He lets the thought sink in. Nearly eighteen?

The redhead and small blonde watch the older man curiously as he works through some thought with great consideration.

"Oh that reminds me, Ran-san, you and Ken are… friends right?" The red head arches a brow and nods in response to Omi's question. "Well, I'm don't know if you know this but, it's Ken's birthday soon and we were just going to get dinner but I thought it would be nice if you and Yoji-kun showed up, as a sort of surprise."

"I'm sure that can be arranged." The red head agrees readily.

"Great! It's at this little restaurant near the shop, so it'll be super casual, so you don't have to stress or anything… oh, and can you extend the invite to Yoji-kun seeing as I don't thinks he's listening… or even here mentally… is he alright?" Omi asks, concerned at the older mans odd silence and look of contemplation.

"I will let him know when he decides to join the world of the working once again. Do you need help finding your way out?"

"No thanks, I'll see you later then, Ran-san, Yoji-kun." With that the boy makes his way out of the office.

Only upon the slamming of the door, does Yoji snap out of his stupor. The redhead looks at him and smirks, "Nearly eighteen, huh? Good luck with that."

"Ughh…" the blonde pulls at his hair, as the amused red head leaves the office chuckling to himself.

xXXx

"Ken! Oi! Ken!"

The brunette snaps out of his daze and stares at his stoutly boss.

"Ken that's enough for today, let's close up."

The brunette nods and rolls out from underneath the car he was working on. He looks up at the clock surprisingly to find that it had be over three hours since his last break.

"Oi! You still open?" A voice calls from the doorway.

"We're closing up for the day, come back in the morning… oh it's you." The brunette turns to the stout old man, "I'll finish this up." The man just nods and woddles his way out, locking the door along his way.

"What can I do for you Kudou-san? How's the seven driving?" The brunette reaches for the rag in his pocket and wipes the grease off his hands, then wipes the sweat off his brow, unconsciously smearing the grease across his forehead. The blonde moves to point out the mess but just shrugs it off knowing that it will go unnoticed regardless of what he does.

"Uhh, well it's great. I absolutely love it. I just came by to get the proof of purchase and the paper work needed from you to register it, seeing as it is a custom built and all…" The brunette smiles, a dazzling but greasy smile, and leads the blonde into the office.

"It's not a problem it'll just be a few minutes for me to draw it up…" He trails off as he begins pulling papers out of cabinets.

"So… it seems that things between you and Ran have gotten better." The brunette looks up for a moment and gives a noncommittal noise. "Yeah, that's what Ran said too…" The blonde looks around the run down office, notice the grease, coffee, food (and lord knows what else) stains along the walls, floors, and counters. With a disgusted noise he moves he hand from the counter. "So I keep running into that cute friend of yours…" He mumbles, changing the subject, as well as trying to keep from talking about the state of the office.

Ken stops what he's doing and looks up at the blonde. "Excuse me?"

"You know, your cute friend, Omi-kun, right?" The blonde nearly jumps as the brunette shoves the paper work at him. "Oi!"

"Don't even think about it." The brunette glares at him intensely.

The blonde stares at him confusedly. "Whoa, you're making a lot of assumptions. No need to be so angry, Papa-bear. I won't hurt your cub." The brunette growls at the blonde while practically shoving him out of the office and out of the building.

"Look…" The brunette finally mumbles at the door, "he just… doesn't need another person in his life he can't rely on… so please just leave it alone."


End file.
